Andy Devine, Carleton Young, Denver Pyle

Going into flashback, a US Senator tells the story of how years ago, as a young lawyer, he came to a small town in which a gang of outlaws terrorized and robbed him. He seeks revenge and finds it in t...( read more  read more... )he help of a local cowboy. When the outlaws are finally killed off in a showdown, the lawyer becomes a hero, which leads to his political success.

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89% liked it

17,919 ratings

Critics

97% liked it

32 critics

Unrated, 2 hrs. 3 min.

Directed by: John Ford

Release Date: May 28, 1962

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DVD Release Date: June 5, 2001

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Flixster Reviews (973)


  • May 9, 2009
    Exceptional elegy.
    A poignant and romantic story about the meaning of honor, and the thin line that separates legends from facts.
  • March 18, 2009
    Pretty much the best Ford I've seen thus far. Stewart and Wayne play off each other perfectly and Lee Marvin was badass. It's probably not as great visually as Stagecoach. A fews scenes like like the class room and the campaigning ones were too drawn out but the rest easily ou...( read more)tweighs them.
  • February 2, 2009
    Aaaaah when John Waynes says to Lee Marvin "Liberty, it's my steak on the floor", you really feel like a shot of testosterone has been injected into the celluloid. Other than that, a very good western, full of men with problems in a town short of solutions.
  • September 26, 2008
    John Ford was one of the few directors who could deftly balance entertainment with more ambitious elements in the undercurrent. Because of that, his appeal to mainstream audiences was as wide as deep his reverence among aficionados. His films are among the favorites of many great...( read more) directors, from Scorsese to Kurosawa.

    Ford made great films throughout his long and illustrious career. One of those was The Man who Shot Liberty Valance. That film, like many of his others, is skewered with problems and elements of period melodrama acted sometimes by not so great actors. But nevertheless, those films, and this one, survive and thrive in spite of them.

    James Stewart plays Rance Stoddard, a big wig senator, once a small time lawyer. His fame came as a result of his killing of a notorious outlaw, Liberty Valance. Rance tells his story to a group of reporters when he returns with his wife Hallie (Vera Miles) to the small town where he found fame for the funeral of a man - Tom Doniphon. Lee Marvin plays Valance, who's gang holds up Rance's coach, then mercilessly beats him. He's found by Tom, a rugged wild man played with ferocity by John Wayne. He has a side kick, Pompey, a towering African American.
    The two men get along, but there is conflict under the surface. At this stage in the game, Hallie appears to be in line for Tom, not Rance. Rance preaches the word of the law, while Tom insists the only way to survive in this essentially lawless land is through the word of the gun. He frequently stands up for Rance when Liberty rides into town, and though never outwardly stated, seems to emasculate Rance with his protection of him. In the mean time, Rance is persuaded to start teaching the townsfolk to read and write, and starts working for the local paper. He is a jack of all trades but the gun.

    When the town decides to elect two delegates to head to the territorial capital city to press for statehood, Liberty tries to bully the people into elected him. Embarassingly, they elect Rance and the local newspaper editor, Dutton Peabody, as their representatives. Soon after, Liberty orders Rance to meet him in the streets, guns drawn, or leave town. They meet, Liberty toys with Rance, then on the final draw is inexplicably shot dead. Rance is celebrated for killing the outlaw, but all is not as it seems in the end.

    The first two thirds of Liberty Valance play fairly standard. What keeps it really going is Stewart's fearless wimpishness, Wayne's commanding and quite enthralling screen presence, and Lee Marvin's eccentric and dandyish portrayal of Liberty Valance. His performance, I think, is one of the big highlights of the film. He has such a wildness about him that when he's intimidated by Tom, the scene jumps off the screen.

    Ford's direction is characteristically meticulous and understated. The film's best scene comes after Valance has been shot, with Rance and the other townsfolk at the territorial meeting. It's one of the best examples of the 19th century political meeting and their elaborate goings on. Horses ride in as signs are raised and slogans shouted. Wayne makes his reappearance here, after a curious absence during the street gunfight. It's the scene that i remember most vividly from the film, and its crude elegance is enthralling to watch.

    As noted, Ford's film's tend to suffer with age due to some period hamminess. His shifting of genre's sometimes can confuse modern audiences, and the melodrama is occasionally thick enough to choke a bull. John Qualen is there again doing his almost insultingly embarrassing Nordic impressions. His foolishness is often charming though. Some have also pointed out that both Stewart and Wayne were far too old to play their characters, but to their credit, they succeed anyway in their portrayals.

    Nevertheless, The Man who Shot Liberty Valance, because of what it is, is a great film, in spite of what it is. It is a classic example of the Hollywood Golden Era, coming in its dying days. The final revelations of the film and the understated feeling of resentment Hallie seems to have for Rance in the present tense heighten the film. When asked who placed the cactus rose for Tom, Hallie responds, almost defiantly, I did. He was his friend, almost her lover. Their relationship exists only because Tom saved Rance - more than anyone else really ever knows. As the man says, when the legend becomes fact, print the legend.
  • August 20, 2008
    A really good movie that actually had me not really minding John Wayne. Of course he's like an old reliable rock next to Jimmy Stewart's extremely likable performance. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance isn't a western so much as a movie that takes place in the Old West. Great perf...( read more)ormances all around, namely from Stewart and the straight-up rotten Lee Marvin. And that batshit crazy performance out of John Carradine towards the end was great, gross and scary all at the same time. The ending felt a little rushed and downbeat and that's where most of my minor disappointment comes in here. This movie's definitely worth the watch but at the same time not the best "western" I've ever seen.
  • November 7, 2009
    I'm not a big fan of black-and-white westerns, but I really enjoyed this film, specially because of Stewart's awesome performance, as well as Wayne's solid acting, and the well-written story with this nice twist.
  • September 21, 2009
    this film was not my kind of film. i'm not a fan a john wayne really and this film was the usual wayne thing.nice story but slow.
  • September 20, 2009
    What a spectacularly well done western for the ages! Awesome story with an awesome cast and an awesome director. What else could you ask for?

    92/100
  • September 6, 2009
    Not really surprised that I liked it, seeing as two top actors of the day were in it. Kinda funny to see the guy who played Angel Eyes playing second to Liberty Valance in this one.
  • July 30, 2009
    The black and white equivalent of "the Searchers." Beautiful, great performances from the Duke, Jimmy Stewart and Lee Marvin (a great frikin' bad guy). Plus all sorts of western character actors like Andy DeVine (yes, that's right, Friar Tuck from disney's "Robin Hood")

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The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance Trivia


  • In which movie did John Wayne keep calling Jimmy Stewart "pilgrim"?  Answer »
  • Who played in "You cant take it with you", "Pot of Gold" and "the man who shot liberty valance"?  Answer »
  • In what movie was the first time John Wayne ever called anyone "Pilgrim"?  Answer »
  • 'When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.' -- 1962 (Hint: This is the only movie in which John Wayne uses the word "pilgrim" to refer to a tenderfoot.)  Answer »

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